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Topic: Who or what makes us love this? (Read 5040 times)

OK, I have a general question. I got interested in beekeeping several years ago just out of general curiosity. I think the first thing I read was an internet article about bees and a hobby farm. I made the plunge last year and of course loved it, so much so that my Dad who retired last fall got into it this spring with me. He installed three nucs this morning and is looking for a couple more.My question is this, who or what got you into beekeeping? I will say this, I hope my kids pick up the fascination from me, just like their Gramps did. :)

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Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another. ~Ernest Hemingway

My Grandfather raised bees. I got into it last year to just keep the family tradition alive. I had NO IDEA what an obsession it would become. I have a lot of hobbies, but none have ever came close to compairing to the pleasure that I get from being around my bees. I have a 1 year old son whom I've already bought a bee suit for. He's either gonna grow up loving them or HATING them! LOL I'm looking forward to the extra help. ;)

Four or five years ago a small swarm landed in a tree near our house. I contacted the local bee guys at the farmer's market to see if anyone wanted to come and get them. No one came....and interestingly, the bees stayed on the branch and built comb right there--in the open. They remained for several months--until the cold weather set in and they died. I watched them the entire time....and was saddened by their demise.

Over the winter I started reading about bees behavior and bee keeping...enrolled in a local class in January and the rest is history.

I am still sad that I didn't do more to save the first swarm.....stupid me! And it is ironic that I now have several swarm traps out trying to capture a swarm because I lost a couple of hives over the winter.

I really love watching the bees and how they develop. The "social" aspect of hive operation is totally amazing. The book Honeybee Democracy says it all for me....a true classic!

My dad died back in '91 and left three hives in the back yard along with a garage half full of boxes. From the looks of the hives it was apparent he hadn't been in them for many years. I even found a 1/2 gallon milk jug in one hive that had been filled with honey comb. I'm guessing it was used as a feeder when he first set up the hive and he never pulled it out. Since he had been a bee keeper for as long as I could remember I decided to give it a try. The equipment and bees were already there so all it took was some time and effort. After 20 years I still really love it, can't put my finger on why I enjoy messing around with hives full of stinging insects but it is just really fun.

A friend who I knew through another association was a beekeeper. I wasn't aware of it until he asked me if I'd like to help him harvest honey. I agreed and helped rob, uncap and exract. I was hooked. He became my mentor and got me started. We had honey extracting parties at his house where we processed both of our supers. Another got hooked and then there were three of us pooling our efforts. The mentor was a widower and eventually remarried. His new wife was not too keen on bees and he got out of it. Soon after the other man quit so it was just me. In the last few years my mentor has gotten into it again with his wife's blessing. I've moved about an hour away but we stay in touch. I've really gotten him hooked on swarm trapping. It's great to have him back and be able to talk bees with him again.

I enjoy reading the posts and how we all got started and such. Anyone on here knows that they are really fascinating creatures. In some ways very similar to people, and in other ways very different. I find it interesting to note that for many, if not most bee keepers, were first introduced to the life (not just a hobby) of bees by someone else who loved what they did and wanted to share that excitement and passion and even knowledge sometimes, with somebody else. What better way to propagate than to get someone else hooked?

My family in southern Virginia, has had bees since mid 1800s (although not for the legal uses most people collect honey for) :cheer:. Since mid 1950s our family has sold honey at church socials and gave honey to local families. I got into beekeeping after retiring because I like bees. I agree with the bees using mind control idea since they have been around longer then we have and we 'think' we are keeping them. :lau: :lau: :lau: -Mike

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.Listen to others but make your own decisions. That way you own the results..Please remember to read labels.

I got started when my readings about colony collaps becoming a big problem. We plant many crops for the wildlife and noticed that there were few honey bees in the fields and realized it is hitting home. So I took the plunge to see if my efforts could help. The girls hooked me and it become my addition.

I"m new at this, I mean 2 weeks new and I'm just loving it. Me and 16 year old daughter sat at one of my hives and watch for a hr. or more today. Watching witch way they flew when they left. To our surprise they went in every direction. I thought they would mostly bee (ha ha) going to the same source. Drones are huge, and I had a long time beekeeper say he could not tell one bee from another??

I came across a hollow tree with a colony in it in 1982. Though we had bees for about 10 years before, I didn't really do anything with them. I saw opportunity to make a few bucks, and tried to get the bees out of that tree without cutting it down.

I came back home after 27 years only to find one lonely, neglected hive out in the barn. They absconded one day and were on the wall of the barn, so I put them in a top bar hive I threw together and they dwindled away. The first experience I had with SHB, and something happened to the queen...

I couldn't just leave it at that then.

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"Thinking is like sin, them that doesn't is scairt of it, and them that does gets to liking it so much they can't quit!" -Josh Billings.

When I was 14 we had a 3 ft long swarm land in a tree behind the house and bend the tree over. I was amazed and hooked. A year later I saw a hive in the paper for $10 and my father drove me over to get it. That was 51 yrs ago. I was fortunate enough to find a bee supply lady in town who was full of advice on what to do. I think the only time I was without bees was when I was in the Navy. I helped start a number of people over the years. I think I enjoy the challenge of keeping them alive over the winter. My kids enjoy the honey as I do in my morning coffee.

For me the question shouldnt be what started me because that is boring granddad did it grew up with at least ten hive in back always.

The question should be why on earth are you so nuts about it. When Granddad died my dad who hates bees burned all his equipment not mean just didnt know what else to do with it. Ten years later I had a garden produce squat so I said I will get one hive and take a little honey like my granddad did every year. Well the last bee conversation I had was before small hive beetles and Granddad new nothing of VDM so that hive lasted 10 minutes. I then decided to just get swarms the next year they died :? I was now the bee killer of mississippi.

Long story short if I had not had the complete failures so much so I was thing about quiting last year.( I talk about quiting every year) I would have never removed a single hive I would not know anything about queens most likely would have never come to this forum I would have just had 1 to 10 hives and collect some honey every year laugh about how I had bees and known nothing.

I had garden failure last year because of no bees. I am totally fascinated by their actions. I don't have enough time to watch them enough. Wife isn't ready for an obs hive yet.

Do what I did. Build a good looking OB hive. While I was building mine, my wife said, "Your are not putting that in my house". I built it out of Black walnut and put a good finish on the outside. We had a party at our farm and to show it off, I put it on the kitchen table in the farm house. I brought it back to our main house and she asked me where I planned to put it. I put it in the corner of our closed in patio and she watches them more than I do and sometimes adds notes to my log.Good LuckJim

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"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."--Mark Twain

My father had bees for my younger brother after I left for the Navy. Years later, during a party for my daughter, a swarm took off from one of his 5 his roof hives and landed in a tree right next to the front door (my brother lost interest in it but my dad kept it going). My father in law took it home and ended up with 20 hives. Forward 20 years, (3 years ago) I was talking to my wife about getting an OB hive (didn't know you really need regular hives to keep Ob hives going). A month later she gave me 2 bee books that her father recommended and I was hooked. Now have 7 hives, including the OB hive.Jim

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"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."--Mark Twain